Alfred was born at Wantage in Oxfordshire in 849, fourth or fifth son of Aethelwulf, king of the West Saxons. Following the wishes of their father, the sons succeeded to the kingship in turn.

One of the most famous Anglo-Saxon kings was Alfred, one of the only kings in British history to be called 'Great'. His father was king of Wessex, but by the end of Alfred's reign his coins ...

Alexander Dreymon won over fans with his starring role in The Last Kingdom. But long before he was the rebellious Uhtred, the ...

Watch King Alfred the Great argue with his older brothers, then defeat the Vikings using his cunning hit-and-run tactics, summoning the spirit of Ed Sheeran. Meanwhile, across the world, Ant and Dec ...

From a Life of Alfred the Great by Thomas Hughes, M. P. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Full text is unavailable for this digitized archive article.